Wow, is this the month of Instagram updates?! They went HARD on updates, new features, and even more metrics. You can scroll down and read OVER 20 updates, in the last month alone. Don’t worry, we have still included all the other marketing updates you need to know and, of course, what these updates mean for you and your marketing strategy.
We understand that you are probably very busy, so the TL:DR is:
- TikTok is probably going dark in the US.
- Instagram has so many updates (probably to make the platform more enticing for users and creators leaving TikTok in the US).
- AI is getting less consistent, with 40-60% of AI-generated search answers changing entirely within just one month!
- Google AIO are getting ads.
Contents
SEO Updates
Last month was all about AIO and GEO, with everyone claiming that search has changed forever, but they already know how to get you seen in AI search results. This month has been quieter in the SEO world with fewer crossover updates between SEO and AI.
Don’t forget, we have an AI LLM Updates section as well, in this round-up.
- Bing Webmaster Tools Expands Data & Features: Microsoft has added significant upgrades to its platform, including more historical data, new keyword trendlines, and additional filters for country and device.
- Google Clarifies Stance on AI-Generated Content: Google’s Gary Illyes stated that the search engine does not discriminate against AI-generated content. The key factor remains quality! As long as the content is accurate and high-quality, the creation method is irrelevant.
- We’ve said this for a long time, so it’s good to have it reinforced by Google themselves. They have a big focus on creating content for the user, so if your content is valuable and people are gaining something from it, however you make it, it probably won’t matter.
- Google Business Profile Posts Get a Management Upgrade: The Google Posts creation tool has been updated to simplify management. All posts are now housed in a centralised location, making it easier for businesses to create, view, and manage their content.
- Google Tests “Preferred Sources” Feature: This new experiment allows users to manually select which publishers and news outlets appear at the top of their search results.
- Suggested action from this update is adding an ‘Add as a preferred source’ button to your sites.
Social Media Updates
A lot has been happening in the world of social media, especially on Instagram. It’s almost as if they are trying to make a lot of noise to capture any US TikTok users who are looking to relocate their audience. More countries are also getting stricter rules around influencer content, like in the UAE where influencers now require a government permit for promoted content.
Here are the updates from last month:
Instagram updates in August
- Algorithm & Reach Insights:
- Taking a long break (1-2 months) from posting will negatively impact your account’s reach.
- Instagram Head Adam Mosseri is considering counting screenshots as a form of engagement.
- Mosseri debunked the myth that engaging with similar content will boost your own reach.
- He also confirmed that there’s no perfect amount of time to wait before posting another piece of content on the platform, and that it just depends on your audience.
- Using “link in bio” in your caption does not harm your reach.
- Using Instagram’s native editing tool, Edits, can slightly help with reach.
- New Analytics & Metrics:
- Post-Level Demographics: See age, gender, and location breakdowns for each individual post, not just the overall account.
- Top Content by Follows: Identify exactly which pieces of content are driving new followers.
- Moment-by-Moment Engagement: See the precise moment viewers liked a Reel or engaged with a specific slide in a carousel.
- “Viewers” Metric: The “Accounts Reached” metric will be replaced by “Viewers,” which measures the number of accounts that viewed your content.
- Insights interactive chart: A new chart that shows retention metrics for Reels, along with skip rate.
- Content Strategy Tips from Instagram:
- Carousels are powerful for discovery and engagement, offering a “built-in second chance” to capture attention.
- To reach new audiences, prioritise Carousels and Reels.
- To engage existing followers, use Carousels, Photos, and Stories.
- To nurture loyal fans, use Live videos and Broadcast Channels.
- Hashtags don’t guarantee reach but are valuable for providing context to the algorithm.
- New & Updated Features:
- Reposts: A new feature allows users to repost content to their own feed, which appears in friends’ feeds and a dedicated “Reposts” tab on their profile.
- Collaborative Drafts: Creators can now send post drafts directly to collaborators via Instagram DMs to streamline the creative process.
- Aspect Ratio Change: Feed posts have been quietly upsized from 1080 x 1350px to 1080 x 1440px (a 4:5 ratio).
- Map Feature: A new, opt-in location-sharing map (similar to Snapchat) is rolling out, allowing users to share their location with chosen friends. Despite built-in privacy controls, it has been met with user skepticism.
- Reels Insights for Other Creators: Instagram is testing the ability for users to see performance insights on Reels posted by other public accounts.
- Carousel Updates: Users may soon be able to rearrange photos and videos in a carousel after it’s been posted.
- Finally! After having to delete and re-upload any errors, we will now be able to optimise content post-publication.
LinkedIn updates in July
- New Post-Level Analytics: LinkedIn is rolling out more detailed, real-time analytics for posts, allowing users to track performance metrics like views, follower growth, and impressions as they happen.
- Scaled-Back News Feed Test: The platform is scaling back its test of an alternative news feed with separate “For You,” “Following,” and “News” tabs, suggesting a refinement of its approach to content discovery.
- Expect to see lots of posts from boring businessmen saying, “This is LinkedIn, not TikTok”, as LinkedIn moves to be more like the other social media platforms with dedicated feeds for suggested posts.
- Testing Video Carousels: LinkedIn is experimenting with trending video carousels that appear directly in the user’s feed, highlighting popular short-form video content.
- Fake Content is being Combatted: LinkedIn looks to tackle fake engagement on the platform by limiting how many comments a member or a LinkedIn page can make in a certain time period. And if the platform detects excessive comment creation or use of an automated tool, it’ll decrease the visibility of those comments.
- Finally!! Although I do love seeing lots of comments on my LinkedIn posts, I am excited to see more authentic comments and not random bots saying “Great post” or “Very insightful”.
TikTok updates in July
- US Ban Deadline: The US ban on TikTok is set to be upheld, potentially forcing the app to go dark, unless POTUS extends the deadline again.
- We often suggest building communities on multiple platforms, as you are in borrowed space online. With the exception of your CRM, you don’t own the audience you are building on social media, so it’s important to have contingencies in place. This is a prime example of what millions of creators never expected to happen, but they are now having to re-build their community elsewhere.
- Hashtag Limit Expansion: TikTok is expanding its test that limits users to only five hashtags per post to a wider audience.
- Increased LIVE Streamer Responsibility: Creators are now explicitly responsible for everything that happens during their LIVE sessions, including actions taken by third-party tools. They must also disclose all commercial content.
- “TikTok Pro” Launches in Europe: A new, ad-free version of the app focused on “positive content” has launched in the EU. It has no LIVE streams or shopping and includes a built-in charity program called “Sunshine.”
YouTube updates in July
- New Monetization for Shorts: YouTube has introduced a new way for Shorts creators to earn revenue. They can now integrate app ads with clickable call-to-action (CTA) buttons directly into their videos.
- This move may help YouTube establish itself as a home for some of the TikTok creators in the US looking to move to other platforms.
Reddit updates in July
- Reddit Aims to Rival Google in Search: The platform has announced ambitions to become a “go-to search engine,” planning to merge its “Reddit Answers” feature with its core search to compete directly with Google.
- This is hard to imagine at the moment, as the way people use Reddit isn’t like any typical search engine, but it will be exciting to see what comes of this update.
- Reddit Tops Gen Z’s Trusted Platforms. In surveys, users ranked Reddit a perfect 5/5 for being the most useful and engaging forum for authentic recommendations, outranking social media giants like TikTok and Instagram.
- It’s becoming more and more clear that GenZ are not relying on Google for their information. If this is your target market, you need to have a more diverse marketing strategy.
Meta updates in July
- Threads Hits Major Milestone: The text-based app has officially surpassed 400 million monthly active users.
- Facebook Tests New Reels Tabs: The platform is experimenting with a new “For You” and “Explore” tab for Reels, potentially improving content discoverability.
- This makes complete sense, with Facebook and Instagram experiencing over 20% increase globally in overall video viewing.
AI LLM Updates
- ChatGPT 5.0 is OpenAI’s “best AI system yet”: It is a unified system that knows when to respond quickly and when to think longer to provide expert-level responses.
- We’ve probably all used this by now, as it came out right at the start of the month. It’s not that different to previous versions of ChatGPT. The technology is advancing, but it’s also still hallucinating a lot!
- Gemini gets more personalised: Google’s AI now incorporates context from your previous chats for more personalized responses. Don’t worry, a new “Temporary Chat” feature is there for any conversations you would prefer Gemini not save to memory.
- Study reveals low overlap between AI and traditional search: Research comparing 15,000 queries found only 12% of AI search results overlap with Google’s top 10 results. Perplexity’s results were the most aligned with traditional search.
- AI search results show significant “citation drift”: A study found that 40-60% of AI-generated search answers change entirely within just one month, highlighting the volatility of AI search compared to traditional results.
- Google ‘confirms’ ads are coming to AI Overviews: A leaked document states that ads in AI Mode will be based on the wider context of the entire conversation, not just a single query. Initial eligible formats include Text and Shopping ads.
- AI Overviews appear within other AI Overviews: In a curious development, users have spotted AI-generated answers (AIOs) appearing within other AI Overviews, potentially a bug or a strange new recursive feature.
- ChatGPT’s open-source models use Exa for search: Instead of relying on Google or Bing, OpenAI is using the Exa search API for its open-source models, diversifying its search infrastructure away from competitors.
Stay Up To Date With Marketing
Digital marketing is ever-evolving, with new social media channels, new forms of searching for content and updates to algorithms and consumer changes. It’s important to stay up to date with the latest information to ensure your marketing is moving towards hitting your goals and targets.
There’s a lot to keep up with in marketing, which is why we offer a range of online and face-to-face marketing training courses and 1-2-1 consultancy packages that cover the latest trends and best practices that your organisation needs in order to succeed.
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